Nice attacker had road rage convictions

Described by his neighbours as a handsome but frightening man, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, who killed at least 84 people in the French city of Nice by driving his truck into a crowd late on Thursday, was convicted only once before: for road rage.

Bouhlel ploughed a truck into crowds celebrating Bastille Day, in what President Francois Hollande called a terrorist act by an enemy determined to strike all nations that share France's values.

While he had several run-ins with the law previously, Bouhlel, a 31-year-old Nice resident born in Tunisia, was not on a watch list of French intelligence services as a suspected militant.

He was convicted for the first time in March this year, French Justice Minister Jean-Jacques Urvoas said.

"There was an altercation between him and another driver and he hurled a wooden pallet at the man," Urvoas said.

As it was his first conviction, Bouhlel was given a suspended sentence and had to contact police once a week, which he did.

Tunisian security sources told Reuters Bouhlel had last visited his hometown of Msaken four years ago.